Rep. Jim McCrery

In the News

September 13, 2013 | The National Association of Federal Credit Unions hosted a "fly-in" this week, bringing members to Washington to visit Capitol Hill and directly lobby their representatives. The American Banker's Association was not amused. However concerned big banks might be that credit unions are growing elsewhere, when it comes to Washington -- it's not much of a competition.

May 21, 2013 | Last week's collapse of a massive precious metals mine in Indonesia, which killed at least 17 workers, brought unwanted attention to the American company that owns the facility, Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold. But the company is already well-known to many here in Washington: Its top executives, as well as the company PAC, contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars each election cycle to help fuel congressional campaigns.

August 18, 2011 | Last week comedian Stephen Colbert's new super PAC made its first move -- advertisements that satirically voiced support for Republican presidential candidate Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. For at least one person, the ad worked. Salvatore Purpura, who had been serving as the treasurer of Colbert's super PAC.

May 13, 2010 | Votes are already being cast in the free-for-all special election in Hawaii's 1st Congressional District, and a Republican candidate has emerged with the most cash on hand in the campaign's final stretch. Republican Charles Djou, a city council member in Honolulu, has nearly $170,000 more in the bank than the most well-financed Democratic candidate.

September 23, 2008 | The last time Congress seriously debated how to regulate the financial industry, the result was legislation that allowed the nation's largest banks to get even larger and take risks that had been prohibited since the Great Depression. A look back at that debate, which was over the 1999 Financial Services Modernization Act, reveals that campaign contributions may have influenced the votes of politicians who, a decade later, are now grappling with the implosion of the giant banks they helped to foster.

September 12, 2008 | Uncle Sam bailed out Freddie Mac and the company's twin sister, Fannie Mae, this week, and the next in line in the Wall Street family to get a helping hand might just be Lehman Brothers. Executives at the struggling investment bank are looking to sell the company with assistance from the government--and fast--as its stock plunges. Although the government isn't expected to completely bail out Lehman Brothers, the fourth-largest U.S. investment bank, the company has built a strong financial relationship with politicians over the years and coincidentally ranks fourth in the largest contributors in the race for the White House.

September 11, 2008 | When the federal government announced two months ago that it would be seizing mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, CRP looked at how much money members of Congress had collected since 1989 from the companies. On Sunday the government proceeded with the takeover and we've returned to our data to bring you the updates, this time providing a list of all 354 lawmakers who have gotten money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (in July we posted the top 25).

August 11, 2008 | Congress, with its cliques and hierarchy, is one of those places that's described as operating a lot like high school. And, as in school, there's peer pressure among lawmakers—pass this bill, support this amendment, appropriate these funds. As Election Day approaches, some members are being rebuked for not paying dues to their own party.

February 21, 2008 | For congressmen who have been in office for decades, fundraising is easy and campaigning is cheap. And when they decide to leave office, donors' contributions can finance an extended retirement party.

January 23, 2007 | Members of Congress who voted against raising taxes for Big Oil received more in contributions from the industry. By Lindsay Renick Mayer January 23, 2007 | (Correction 11/7/2007: This story has been corrected to reflect Kay Bailey Hutchison’s position as a U.S. senator.) When the House of Representatives voted last week to raise taxes on…

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